he 2013 edition of the AFL-CIO’s
Executive Paywatch, launched
this year on Tax Day, shows no
end to the trend of soaring CEO pay
and stagnant pay for the average
worker.
In 1982, the average CEO earned
42 times that of the average worker.
By 2012, the gap had reached 354
times. Put in current dollar terms,
the CEO of a Standard & Poor’s 500
index company earned $12.3 million
in total compensation last year, while
the average rank-and-file worker
earned $36,654.
“Runaway CEO pay is fueling
economic inequality in the U.S. and
undermining our shared prosperity,” says AFL-CIO president Richard
Trumka. “In addition, high levels of
CEO pay can encourage excessive
risk by CEOs, which hurts the longterm prospects of the companies
they run.”
As with past editions, the Executive Paywatch site lets you compare
your pay and benefits package to
that of a CEO, search the CEO pay
database, and take action to rein
in CEO pay. Go to paywatch.org to
learn more.

N

ationwide efforts are underway
to enact legislation that will help
ensure hospitals are doing more
to provide safe staffing levels. Connecticut is no exception.
AFT Connecticut is promoting legislation that would require hospitals to

Covering Mental
Anguish From Work
Related Trauma

2

report staffing levels to the Department
of Public Health. To help move this issue
a new website SafeStaffingCT.org was
created.

Continued on page 4

What Did Michelle Rhee
Know About Cheating in
D.C. School Tests?

5

Windham Teacher
Shows It’s All
Math Baby

5

Sandy Hook Run for the Families a Tremendous Success!

I

n what has been billed as the largest inaugural run in Connecticut history, more than 15,000 runners turned out
on a cold snowy morning to support the families of Newtown. Dozens of teachers from Newtown were on-hand
for the race. "This is an amazing turnout," said Tom Kuroski, president of Newtown Teachers. "It is so wonderful
to see people coming together to support our community."
AFTCT staff Teri Merisotis and Kristine Metcalf, along with numerous volunteers, gave out water and snacks at
the AFT Connecticut tent. AFTCT videographer Neal Thomassen interviewed race organizers and members. AFTCT
Staff Anna Cerritelli, Ole Hermanson and Eric Bailey participated in the race.

Workers Affected by Newtown Tragedy to Receive Coverage
Through Sandy Hook Workers Assistance Program and Fund

O

n March 6, the Connecticut
General Assembly unanimously passed legislation
that will provide coverage for all
workers suffering mental or emotional impairment from the tragic
shooting that took place at Sandy
Hook Elementary School on Dec.
14, 2012.
"On behalf of the teachers, clerical staff and custodians we represent
in Newtown, I want to thank the legislature for taking up this important
bill," said Melodie Peters, president
of AFT Connecticut. "I especially
want to thank the legislative leaders

on both sides of the aisle. They're efforts to move this legislation forward
is a credit to their ability to work
together to do what's right for these
workers."
Speaker of the House Brendan
Sharkey, Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams, House Majority
Leader Joe Aresimowicz, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, House
Minority Leader Larry Cafero and
Senate Minority Leader John McKinney introduced Bill 6599.
Bill 6599 An Act Establishing
The Sandy Hook Workers Assistance
Program and Fund, Clarifying the

Calculation of Survivor Benefits, and
Authorizing a Waiver of the StateWide Mastery Examination Requirement for Certain Newtown Students
was introduced in the house by State
Representative Steve Dargan. The
bill was introduced in the Senate by
State Senators Joan Hartley, Cathy
Osten and Andrea Stillman.
Senator Osten is championing
changes to the workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; compensation statute so special legislation like
this will no longer be necessary.
Learn more at aftct.org.

Melodie Peters
President
STATE OF THE UNION
is published on an irregular basis
up to six times a year by
AFT Connecticut,
35 Marshall Road,
Rocky Hill, CT 06067.
Phone: 860/257-9782
www.aftct.org
Third class postage paid at Hartford, CT

STATE OF THE UNION is mailed to all AFT
Connecticut members as a benefit of
membership. Subscription fees are included in
dues, $20 per year for non-members.
Although advertisements are screened
as carefully as possible, acceptance of an
advertisement does not imply AFT Connecticut
endorsement of the product or service.
ÂŠ AFT CONNECTICUT, AFT, AFL-CIO 2009

memo uncovered by PBS's John Merrow concerning former chancellor Michelle Rhee's knowledge
of cheating in District of Columbia Public Schools
is troubling, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.
"First, it strongly suggests that Michelle Rhee knew
in 2009 of widespread allegations of cheating in D.C.
public schools and failed to act," she says. "And second, it
indicates that rather than conducting a full investigation
of the allegations, a strategy was devised to dodge them.
"Those of us in D.C. at the time heard rumors
t hat R he e pre ssured principa ls
to i mpr ov e t e s t
scores and that she
looked the other
way when ev idence of cheating
was put before her.
A s Joh n Mer row
concluded, Rhee's
overzealous fixation on testing and

measurement, and her efforts to silence and fire anyone
who questioned her reckless, destabilizing strategies, ultimately failed D.C.'s kids. Under Rhee's tenure, DC-CAS
scores showed little or no gain, and the performance gap
between low-income and upper-income students actually widened. Schools were destabilized by the constant
churn of teachers and principals being fired, relocated or
leaving out of frustration. Our children deserved better.
"In 2011, my colleague Nathan Saunders and I called
for an immediate, full-scale investigation to be conducted
by an unbiased third party. The Sanford memoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;suggesting 70 schools may be at issueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;also calls into serious
question whether the investigations done by the D.C.
inspector general and the U.S. Department of Education
inspector general, as well as the actions of D.C. State
Superintendent of Education Deborah Gist, were comprehensive and thorough.
"We renew the call for a full investigation, and ask
the D.C. City Council, with its full subpoena powers,
to conduct a series of hearings. That would be putting
students first."

Community Schools Legislation Critical Step in Education
Reform

A

n Act Concerning Community Schools would establish full service community
schools in alliance districts with the
goal of bringing together community partners to provide important
student and family services at such
schools.
"This is a critical step in education reform and something for which
we have been fighting," said Melodie
Peters, president of AFT Connecticut.
"Community schools are a large part
of the solution needed to improve
education for every child in Connecticut."
"Supporting community schools
as a strategy for school reform is
common sense," said Shital C. Shah,
Assistant Director of Educational
Issues for AFT. "Passage of this bill
will send a message throughout the
state that everyone has a role to play.
If we organize all of the resources in
the school districts and communities across the state to implement
the community school strategy, our

teachers and principals will have the
optimal teaching conditions; our
parents will become more engaged
in the education of their children,
and most importantly our students
will succeed."
SB 1002 would require the local
or regional board of education for
each school district designated as
an alliance district to identify two
elementary schools and one high
school located in the school district
that will establish full service community schools beginning July 1,
2014.

ean Morningstar, president of UHP Local 3837 and AFTCT Vice President
for members under the State Employee Bargaining Act, has been appointed to the State Contracting Standards Board, by Governor Malloy.
The State Contracting Standards Board mission is to ensure that state
contracting and procurement processes reflect the highest standards of
integrity, are clean and consistent and are conducted in the most efficient
manner possible.
STATE OF THE UNION

3

Safe Staffing
Continued from Page 1
“We’re urging all of our healthcare members to go to
our website SafeStaffingCT.org to sign the petition and
share their stories,” said AFTCT President Melodie Peters.
Safe staffing means that an appropriate number of
staff, with a suitable mix of skill levels, is available at all
times to ensure that patient care needs are met and that
hazard-free working conditions are maintained.
Factors to be considered in determining safe staffing
include the acuity level of patients, the need for nurses
to have adequate opportunity and time to exercise professional judgement with respect to patient care, and
acknowledgement that patient needs can change from
moment to moment and will encompass physiological,
economic, chemical, psychosocial, educational and
spiritual requirements in addition to safety.
Safe and cost-effective staffing also requires an understanding of the differences in skill level, experience
and education of various types of licensed and unlicensed
personnel and a recognition that inadequate or marginal
staffing levels can lead to higher mortality rates, greater
morbidity, increased risk of injury to both patient and
staff, and increased utilization of both inpatient and
outpatient facilities.
As of March 2011, 15 states (CA, CT, IL, ME, MN, NV,
NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, TX, VT, WA) and the District of
Columbia have enacted legislation or adopted regulations
addressing nurse staffing.
Seven states (CT, IL, NV, OH, OR, TX, WA) require hospitals to have committees responsible for staffing policy,
and five states (IL, NJ, NY, RI, VT) require disclosure or
public reporting of staffing. More legislation is being introduced, including proposals by three states (FL, IL, IA)
to create staffing committees, proposals by three states
(HI, IL, MA) to require public disclosure laws, proposals
by seven states (IN, KY, MD, NJ, NY, VT, WV) to set staffing
ratios, and four states (CA, MA, MO, PA) with alternative
nurse staffing bills.

Celebrate National
Nurses Week
May 6 – 12
4 STATE OF THE UNION

New Affiliations Strengthen AFT Healthcare
Constituency

I

n the past month three nursing groups have voted to
affiliate with AFT making our union the third largest
representative of nurses in the nation.
The 34,000-member National Federation of Nurses
voted Feb. 7 to affiliate with the AFT, whose 1.5 million
members include 48,000 nurses. The NFN is active in
Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Washington state. The executive board of the 11,577-member Washington State
Nurses Association voted Feb. 16 to affiliate with the
AFT. Over the next several weeks, state affiliates in Ohio
and Oregon will conduct their own formal ratification
process. The Montana Nurses Association has approved

a historic affiliation agreement with the AFT. The MNA
also announced a tentative two-year agreement for
nurses working at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. The
240-member bargaining unit has been working without
a contract since December.
"The affiliations with the AFT come at a time when
nurses are uniting their voices to deal with rapid changes
in the healthcare industry and the effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act," Weingarten says. "These
affiliations represent a vote of confidence in the AFT as
a union with a proven track record of standing up for
professionals."

Backus Nurses Are Living United

T

he Backus Federation of Nurses Local 5149 held their third food drive to
benefit the Gemma E. Moran United Way Labor Food Center in Southeastern Connecticut on March 9 bringing in 1,729 pounds of food.
The first two food drives combined for just over 3,000 pounds of food.
"Many people donated entire carriages of food which went a long way
towards filling out truck," said John Brady, president of the Backus Federation of Nurses.
The local also collected over $270 in cash and Stop and Shop gift cards.
The nurses were also joined by the Security and Support Staff Union in
hosting the food drive.
"The support from our community was amazing," said Brady. "AFTCT
President Melodie Peters supplied lunch for us. Lori Pelletier, secretarytreasurer of the CT AFL-CIO stopped to donate and to help. State Senator
Cathy Osten and Norwich city Alderman Charlie Witt came out to support
us. Even Backus Hospital president and CEO, Dave Whitehead, donated three
cases of vegetables."
WICH and WILI provided air time to promote the food drive.

Raising Haiti

J

essica Patti, a Backus Federation
of Nurses RN, is founder and
president of Raising Haiti, a non
profit agency whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to help
improve the social, educational, and
medical conditions of the people of
Haiti.
Jessica, and many members of
our Backus and L&M locals, travel at
their own expense to Haiti roughly 6
times a year to minister to the health
needs of the poorest of the poor.
To learn more about the work being done in Haiti go to haiticlinic.org

AFTCT Pres. Melodie Peters (Left) and members of the Backus Federation of Nurses
at their annual food drive.
STATE OF THE UNION

5

Windham Teacher’s 5th Grade Class Wins Classroom
Makeover Contest

R

adio Host Kidd Kraddick recently held a classroom
makeover contest. The show asked teachers to
send in videos of their classes doing a “Glee” style
performance to get a classroom makeover!
Jennifer Vowles 5th Grade Class from North Windham Elementary in Windham, Connecticut was one of
the winners.
“Five students and I wrote the lyrics,” said Vowles.
“The kids learned the choreography and memorized the
lyrics in only three days. They encouraged each other,
worked together and made the win possible with hard
work and dedication.”
“We got a live call from Kidd Kraddick letting us
know that we had won,” said Vowles. “All the kids were
surrounding me screaming. It was one of the days that
the kids are never going to forget.
“We won $1500 for a classroom makeover,” added
Vowles. “I bought a document camera (ELMO) and projector, and upon the kids request, bean bag chairs and
books. “
The students appeared on the front page of the Windham Chronicle, Windham Works Television show, and

were sent to the capital to meet the speaker of the house.
You can check out the winning video on our website
aftct.org.

Celebrate Teacher
Appreciation Week
May 6 – 10, 2013

Common Core

Workshops
These workshops are designed to help
teachers on all grade levels implement the
Common Core into their classrooms.

FT president Randi Weingarten joined with Cartoon Network on April 3 to launch the "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" Flag Raising Campaign, a new
partnership that will provide educators in more than a
thousand schools nationwide with bullying prevention
materials and curriculum suggestions.
Cartoon Network initiated Stop Bullying: Speak Up
with partners CNN and Time Inc. as a response to student
interest in learning how to safely and effectively stop bullying. Now, with support from LG Electronics, that effort
will be expanded through a partnership with the AFT to
distribute free bullying prevention kits to help teachers,
parents and communities begin or enhance their antibullying work.
"This partnership with Cartoon Network is one of
many projects in which the AFT is actively working with
other organizations to eradicate bullying in every form—
from the schoolyard to cyberspace," Weingarten says. "We
applaud Cartoon Network's effort, and we will continue
to work with them and other partners to give educators,
parents and students the tools they need to help end
bullying and make our schools and communities safe."
Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer
of Cartoon Network highlighted the project's connection
with student concerns. "We are honored to partner with
the AFT on this important project. Young people nationwide told us they want to learn what to do when they see
their friends get bullied—they want to work with their
teachers and parents to create safe, supportive school
environments," Snyder says. "Stop Bullying: Speak Up
provides educators and students with tools they can use
to begin or enhance those efforts."

Two years ago, the AFT launched the "See a Bully, Stop
a Bully: Make a Difference" campaign to spread the word
to parents, teachers and students about the devastating
effects suffered by those who experience bullying. The
AFT has bolstered the anti-bullying training it has provided to educators for years, and its website offers a host
of resources educators and parents can use to identify
bullying behavior and intervene to stop it.
"We no longer can excuse bullying as just something
kids must face as part of growing up," Weingarten says.
"And we know that every adult in the school system—
parents, teachers, principals, nurses, librarians, counselors and others—has a role to play. The resources in
the Cartoon Network bullying prevention kits will help
them do that."
The kits include a flag that students can raise to signal that their school does not tolerate bullying, as well
as templates they can use to make their own flags. Also
included in the kit are an educator's guide, strategies and
timelines for introducing the topic in elementary and
middle schools, reading lists, tip sheets for students and
parents, and a DVD with documentary videos and PSAs
for classroom and assembly use. Additional materials,
including free downloadable posters and curriculum
materials in Spanish and Farsi, are available online.
Throughout the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Flag Raising
Campaign, the AFT and Cartoon Network will highlight
stories of how students and educators are using these
bullying prevention kits in their schools. Educators who
share their experiences will be considered for a chance
to present their results with Cartoon Network and the
campaign's creators at the AFT TEACH Conference in July.

Paraprofessional

Workshop
English Language Learners
4:00pm - 7:00pm
May 16, 2013

To register call
860-257-9782

Public Service
Recognition Week
May 5 – 11
STATE OF THE UNION

7

Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Hartford CT
Permit # 4501

It takes a union to...
Melodie Peters, AFT Connecticut President

L

abor unions are responsible for so many of
the benefits and freedoms that workers enjoy
today. The 40-hour work week, overtime pay,
safe working conditions, pensions, healthcare, equal
pay for equal work and the list goes on and on. If you
think that unions don’t continue to make a difference,
think again.
It takes a union to organize. In the last year we have
been approached by hundreds of workers from across
Connecticut asking to join our union. They recognize
that collective bargaining gives them a voice in the
workplace and the power to negotiate for better wages,
benefits and working conditions.
It takes a union to negotiate. Every year our field
representatives work with the negotiating committees of locals to negotiate fair and equitable contracts.
These negotiations often go way beyond wages and
benefits and our staff have been highly trained to
handle the complex issues arising in workplaces today.
It takes a union to fight for justice. Hospitals have
begun setting up shell companies and transferring

union jobs in an attempt to avoid contractual obligations. We’re fighting back with unfair labor practice
charges at the National Labor Relations Board and organizing those workers to secure their right to a union.
It takes a union to move legislation. This year we
have successfully helped pass numerous pieces of
legislation including a bill promoting the creation of
community schools. Community schools remain open
beyond regular school hours to provide access to tutoring, homework assistance and enrichment activities,
as well as medical, dental and mental health services.
The diversity of our union gives us the strength
and clout we need to get the job done for you and your
families.
I hope you will join us at our annual convention
on May 18 as we continue to celebrate all of our accomplishments and prepare for the future. We will
continue to work together and show everyone what
our union can do.

It’s now easier than ever to get the news and
information you need right when you need it from AFT
Connecticut! Our website makes it easy for you to stay
informed and get involved in your union.

www.aftct.org

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